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Articles: My Thoughts | Why did I see more beggars than my previous trips?
- Mr. devrajgoud kodipyaka
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The one siginificant impression from two recent 24 -hours journey in second class? poverty
I was simply stunned at the numbder and variety of people who steamed through asking for coins, or who did so at the station. blind couples; man on his behind with a leg draped around his neck and bag of grapes hanging from his toes; young girls singing tunelessly; a smiling old man who asked for money in Telugu, then Hindi, then Hindi again .... from early in the morning, all through the day well into the night, on and on.
SO MANY POOR
I' ve travelled second-class for over 20 years. Short and long journey in every part of the country. For what it tells you about India, this is by far the best way to travel. We are a decade-and-a half into reforms and the tearing down of Socialism that we hear, is addressing India's problem of poverty in the most efficient way possible.
why can't I see any decline in poverty? Why in the years that I've been aware of realities in India have I not sensed any drop in the number of poor people? On this one journey, why did I see more beggars than on any previous trip?
Look at the number! Then you will understand; moving to free market is bringing more people out of poverty faster than anything else has ever before. It's proven fact that free markets are the only mechanism to truly tackle poverty.
So just give it some time. Surely you don't expect poverty to vanish overnight? The reforms have been in place for 15 years, that's over a third of our socialist period, from 1947 till liberalisation began.
On this train journey, Indian poverty streamed past me like a surreal alternate Republic Day Parade and that says some thing about my country.
DEV
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